North Adams Council Approves $38.6M Budget

Councilor Wayne Wilkinson, a member for the Finance Committee, reads the budget lines for approval.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday approved a budget of $38,569,857 to be raised by appropriation and a new classification and compensation plan for fiscal 2016.

The appropriated budget is up $840,453, or about 2.0 percent, over this year.

The total spending plan is $41,395,995 for fiscal 2016, up $661,100 over this year, matching anticipated revenues without dipping into the city's depleted reserves. The figures include a school department budget of $16,415,800 that also is about 2 percent, or $321,880, up over this year.

"This has been a very long arduous process," said Mayor Richard Alcombright in thanking the Finance Committee and council. "I think due to the fact we worked together, City Hall and the City Council, we were able to bring forth a balanced budget. This is the first time in a long time."

Finance Committee Chairwoman Nancy Bullett had expressed the same sentiment, thanking her committee and the city's financial team.

"I don't think the Finance Committee meetings would have gone as well as they did and as smoothly as they did without the amount of work that went into them," she said. "And I thank you for that."

Most line items are or near level-funded with increases in health insurance costs, pension obligations, worker's compensation, Hoosac Water Quality District assessments, contracted salaries and a 3 percent cost of living increase for non-union employees.

The mayor had anticipated a shortfall of more than $560,000; that was offset in part by staff reductions, including more than a dozen in the school department and one in the city clerk's office, and changes in rates for the transfer station to make it revenue neutral, saving an estimated $370,000.

Members of the Finance Committee read through each section, which were recommended and voted as presented. The entire meeting took less than 45 minutes. The approval was unanimous with eight votes; Councilor Jennifer Breen is out on maternity.

The compensation and classification plan was approved to a second reading; the main changes are raising the city clerk from an S-22 to S-22A to bring the job in line with other department heads and the veterans service agent, S-19, to bring the salary to $45,000 beginning in year four. Bullett noted that six other towns contribute to the veterans agent's salary.

Prior to adoption, Bullett summarized her committee's meetings on the city's fiscal operations and budget over the past months.

Mayor Richard Alcombright discusses a PARC grant for a skateboard park.

"The youth in our community have been wanted this for eons," said the mayor. "We've got a design, not completed, but which we can submit for this grant."

The city would use Community Development Block Grant funds as its 30 percent match. Alcombright said this would mean leveraging $276,000 in CDBG money for $400,000 in PARC funds. The total would be $676,000 toward the skate park, which will include BMX elements.

"We think it's going to be a real win," Alcombright said.

The council approved the appointment of Kurt Kolok as the fifth and final member of the new Historic District Commission and Christine Naughton to the Human Services Commission.

During open forum, Carol Boucher of East Main Street raised the question of what would be done with trees planted at Sullivan School in memory of students and teachers.

"What's going to happen to those trees?" she asked. "You just can't leave them up there sitting in an empty space ... they have meaning."

Alcombright said he was unaware of the memorial trees but told the council he would bring the issue to the School and School Building committees to see if the trees could be replanted at Colegrove Park Elementary School or, if they could not, if new trees could be rededicated.

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